Heart valve

Abstract

A novel heart valve for permanent implantation inside the human heart. The heart valve includes a valve body with an outer valve body surface. The outer valve body surface has at least one projection. This projection serves to locate at least one stiffener on the valve body after the valve has been assembled. The projection includes structure that defines at least a partial interruption through the projection in a direction perpendicular to the valve body's exterior surface. In preferred embodiments, the projection extends around less than the entire outer surface of the valve body, or multiple projections jointly extend around less than the entire outer surface of the valve body.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A heart valve comprising: 
 a valve body having an outer surface;    a stiffener placed over the outer surface of the valve body; and    a projection on the outer surface of the valve body;    wherein the projection locates the stiffener on the valve body; and    wherein the projection extends around less than the entire outer surface of the valve body.    
     
     
         2 . The heart valve of  claim 1 , wherein the projection extends around less than 50 percent of the entire outer surface of the valve body.  
     
     
         3 . The heart valve of  claim 2 , wherein the projection extends around less than 20 percent of the entire outer surface of the valve body.  
     
     
         4 . The heart valve of  claim 3 , wherein the projection extends around less than 10 percent of the entire outer surface of the valve body.  
     
     
         5 . The heart valve of  claim 1 , wherein the stiffener is a stiffening ring.  
     
     
         6 . The heart valve of  claim 5 , and further comprising a second stiffening ring, and wherein the first and second stiffening rings are configured for placement on opposite sides of the projection.  
     
     
         7 . The heart valve of  claim 1 , and further comprising a second stiffener, and wherein the first and second stiffeners are configured for placement on opposite sides of the projection.  
     
     
         8 . The heart valve of  claim 1 , and further comprising a suture ring, wherein the suture ring is retained on the valve body by the stiffener.  
     
     
         9 . The heart valve of  claim 8 , and wherein the suture ring is wrapped around the stiffener.  
     
     
         10 . A heart valve comprising: 
 a valve body having an outer surface;    a stiffener placed over the outer surface of the valve body; and    first and second projections on the outer surface of the valve body;    wherein the first and second projections locate the stiffener on the valve body; and    wherein the first and second projections together extend around less than the entire surface of the valve body.    
     
     
         11 . The heart valve of  claim 10 , wherein the projections on the outer surface of the valve body together extend around less than 50 percent of the entire outer surface of the valve body.  
     
     
         12 . The heart valve of  claim 11 , wherein the projections on the outer surface of the valve body together extend around less than 20 percent of the entire outer surface of the valve body.  
     
     
         13 . The heart valve of  claim 12 , wherein the projections on the outer surface of the valve body together extend around less than 10 percent of the entire outer surface of the valve body.  
     
     
         14 . The heart valve of  claim 10 , wherein the stiffener is a stiffening ring.  
     
     
         15 . The heart valve of  claim 14 , and further comprising a second stiffening ring, and wherein the first and second stiffening rings are configured for placement on opposite sides of the projection.  
     
     
         16 . The heart valve of  claim 10 , and further comprising a second stiffener, and wherein the first and second stiffeners are configured for placement on opposite sides of the projection.  
     
     
         17 . The heart valve of  claim 10 , and further comprising a suture ring, wherein the suture ring is retained on the valve body by the stiffener.  
     
     
         18 . The heart valve of  claim 17 , and wherein the suture ring is wrapped around the stiffener.  
     
     
         19 . A heart valve comprising: 
 a valve body having an outer surface;    a stiffener placed over the outer surface of the valve body; and    a projection on the outer surface of the valve body;    wherein the projection locates the stiffener on the valve body; and    wherein the projection includes structure defining at least a partial interruption through the projection in a direction substantially perpendicular to the exterior surface of the valve body.    
     
     
         20 . The heart valve of  claim 19 , wherein the projection includes structure defining at least a partial interruption through the projection in a direction substantially perpendicular to the exterior surface of the valve body so that the uninterrupted portion of the projection extends around less than 50 percent of the valve body's entire outer surface.  
     
     
         21 . The heart valve of  claim 20 , wherein the uninterrupted portion of the projection extends around less than 20 percent of the valve body's entire outer surface.  
     
     
         22 . The heart valve of  claim 21 , wherein the uninterrupted portion of the projection extends around less than 10 percent of the valve body's entire outer surface.  
     
     
         23 . The heart valve of  claim 19 , wherein the stiffener is a stiffening ring.  
     
     
         24 . The heart valve of  claim 23 , and further comprising a second stiffening ring, and wherein the first and second stiffening rings are configured for placement on opposite sides of the projection.  
     
     
         25 . The heart valve of  claim 19 , and further comprising a second stiffener, and wherein the first and second stiffeners are configured for placement on opposite sides of the projection.  
     
     
         26 . The heart valve of  claim 19:   wherein the valve body includes relatively thin wall sections and relatively thick wall sections; and    wherein the interruption through the projection is located over a relatively thin wall section of the valve body.    
     
     
         27 . The heart valve of  claim 19 , and further comprising a suture ring, wherein the suture ring is retained on the valve body by the stiffener.  
     
     
         28 . The heart valve of  claim 27 , and wherein the suture ring is wrapped around the stiffener.  
     
     
         29 . A method for making a heart valve, the method comprising: 
 providing a valve body with an exterior surface and a projection that extends around less than the entire exterior surface of the valve body;    placing a stiffener over the exterior surface of the valve body;    using the projection to locate the stiffener on the valve body.    
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 29 , and wherein providing a valve body with an exterior surface and a projection that extends around less than the entire exterior surface of the valve body, includes providing a valve body with a projection that extends around less than 50 percent of the valve body's entire exterior surface.  
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 30 , and wherein providing a valve body with a projection that extends around less than 50 percent of the valve body's entire exterior surface includes providing a valve body with a projection that extends around less than 20 percent of the valve boy's entire exterior surface.  
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 31 , and wherein providing a valve body with a projection that extends around less than 20 percent of the valve body's entire exterior surface includes providing a valve body with a projection that extends around less than 10 percent of the valve boy's entire exterior surface.  
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 29 , and further comprising: 
 installing at least one leaflet into the valve body before the stiffener is placed over the exterior surface of the valve body.    
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 29 , and further comprising placing a suture ring over the valve body.  
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 29 , and further comprising: 
 placing a suture ring over the valve body before the stiffener is placed over the exterior surface of the valve body.    
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 34 , and further comprising: 
 wrapping the suture ring over the stiffener after the stiffener is placed over the exterior surface of the valve body.    
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 36 , and further comprising: 
 joining the suture ring to itself to fix the suture ring in place on the valve body.    
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 37 , and wherein joining the suture ring to itself comprises stitching the suture ring to itself.  
     
     
         39 . A method for making a heart valve, the method comprising: 
 providing a valve body with an exterior surface and first and second projections that together extend around less than the entire exterior surface of the valve body;    placing a stiffener over the exterior surface of the valve body;    using the projections to locate the stiffener on the valve body.    
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 39 , and wherein providing a valve body with an exterior surface and first and second projections that together extend around less than the entire exterior surface of the valve body includes providing projections that together extend around less than 50 percent of the valve body's entire exterior surface.  
     
     
         41 . The method of  claim 40 , and wherein providing projections that together extend around less than 50 percent of the valve body's entire exterior surface includes providing projections that together extend around less than 20 percent of the valve body's entire exterior surface.  
     
     
         42 . The method of  claim 41 , and wherein providing projections that together extend around less than 20 percent of the valve body's entire exterior surface includes providing projections that together extend around less than 10 percent of the valve body's entire exterior surface.  
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 39 , and further comprising: 
 installing at least one leaflet into the valve body before the stiffener is placed over the exterior surface of the valve body.    
     
     
         44 . The method of  claim 39 , and further comprising placing a suture ring over the valve body.  
     
     
         45 . The method of  claim 39 , and further comprising: 
 placing a suture ring over the valve body before the stiffener is placed over the exterior surface of the valve body.    
     
     
         46 . The method of  claim 44 , and further comprising: 
 wrapping the suture ring over the stiffener after the stiffener is placed over the exterior surface of the valve body.    
     
     
         47 . The method of  claim 46 , and further comprising: 
 joining the suture ring to itself to fix the suture ring in place on the valve body.    
     
     
         48 . The method of  claim 47 , and wherein joining the suture ring to itself comprises stitching the suture ring to itself.  
     
     
         49 . A method for making a heart valve, the method comprising: 
 providing a valve body with an exterior surface and a projection on the exterior surface, wherein the projection includes structure defining at least a partial interruption through the projection in a direction substantially perpendicular to the exterior surface of the valve body;    placing a stiffener over the exterior surface of the valve body;    using the projection to locate the stiffener on the valve body.    
     
     
         50 . The method of  claim 49 , and wherein providing a valve body with an exterior surface and a projection on the exterior surface includes providing a valve body with a projection whose uninterrupted portion extends around less than 50 percent of the valve body's entire exterior surface.  
     
     
         51 . The method of  claim 50 , and wherein providing a valve body with a projection whose uninterrupted portion extends around less than 50 percent of the valve body's entire exterior surface includes providing a valve body with a projection whose uninterrupted portion extends around less than 20 percent of the valve body's entire exterior surface.  
     
     
         52 . The method of  claim 51 , and wherein providing a valve body with a projection whose uninterrupted portion extends around less than 20 percent of the valve body's entire exterior surface includes providing a valve body with a projection whose uninterrupted portion extends around less than 10 percent of the valve body's entire exterior surface.  
     
     
         53 . The method of  claim 49 , and further comprising: 
 installing at least one leaflet into the valve body before the stiffener is placed over the exterior surface of the valve body.    
     
     
         54 . The method of  claim 49 , and further comprising placing a suture ring over the valve body.  
     
     
         55 . The method of  claim 49 , and further comprising: 
 placing a suture ring over the valve body before the stiffener is placed over the exterior surface of the valve body.    
     
     
         56 . The method of  claim 54 , and further comprising: 
 wrapping the suture ring over the stiffener after the stiffener is placed over the exterior surface of the valve body.    
     
     
         57 . The method of  claim 56 , and further comprising: 
 joining the suture ring to itself to fix the suture ring in place on the valve body.    
     
     
         58 . The method of  claim 57 , and wherein joining the suture ring to itself comprises stitching the suture ring to itself.